EVERY MUSLIM WHO is still conscious of the Deen and the goals of the Aakhirah will have no alternative other than to concede that almost every newspaper in the country is pornographic. What then is the Shariah’s reaction to reading such evil, satanic slut papers? The practice of Hakimul Ummah Maulana Ashraf Ali Thaanvi (rahmatullah alayh) will throw some light on this question and offer guidance for us.

During the 1930’s newspapers, even kuffaar ones, were exceptionally conservative and dignified. Even kuffaar governments censored and excised moral filth from the papers. A Muslim paper in the Urdu language used to be delivered to Hadhrat Thaanvi (rahmatullah alayh). It was an Urdu paper devoid of pictures and the filthy gossip and slander stories which adorn the slut papers of this era. Since there is always a need for the Ulama, especially those to whom the community refers for Deeni guidance and Fatwa, to stay abreast with developments, Hadhrat Thaanvi (rahmatullah alayh) permitted the Urdu paper to be delivered to his Khaanqah. However, Hadhrat Thaanvi would not read the paper nor look at it. Hadhrat’s method was to ask one of his mureeds to read out only the headlines of the articles and reports. The mureed would read the headlines and Hakimul Ummat would listen. If any article attracted his attention, he would ask the mureed to read it for him. After the paper was completed in this manner, Hadhrat Thaanvi would take it away to prevent others in the Khaanqah from reading it. This was the caution which Hadhrat Thaanvi (rahmatullah alayh) had adopted with regard to newspapers which were completely bereft of the filth, muck, slut and pornography in which almost every newspaper excels today. Undoubtedly, it is haraam to allow children to read these pornographic papers. Also for adults it is not permissible to relish and derive pleasure from the haraam pictures, and from the gossip and slander stories. In fact, it is not permissible to introduce these papers into the home. A man should feel ashamed of bringing home a paper in whose pages pornographic pictures are splashed. He has a wife, daughters and sons at home. Only a dishonourable husband/father is able to allow his family to daily indulge in zina of the eyes and mind thereby corrupting their spirituality and Imaan. Wives too have become utterly shameless. Like their western kuffaar immoral counterparts, they are able to tolerate their husbands savouring their nafs and contaminating their Imaan with the almost nude pictures of immoral women. They should then not become surprised and despondent when the attention of their husbands is diverted from them to the filthy Aids-Carriers they see in the streets. These immoral papers should never be left lying around the home. The Malaaikah of Rahmat most certainly do not grace such houses with their auspicious presence. The home then becomes an abode for the shayaateen.

MAJLIS VOL 17 NUMBER 9